Gopinath defended the university’s decision to use UGC funds for providing legal aid to the arrested students. “There is nothing wrong in helping the two till a judicial probe proves them guilty.” Prof I M Khan said: “We are also telling the landlords who are turning away students for want of documents to check up with our proctor office for verification.”

Prof Prasad said: “Some of my students come from the families of landless labourers in Kerala. They are all here to build their future. The media and the police shouldn’t destroy their dreams.”

A questionable decision
This refers to the report Jamia to provide legal help to two arrested students. By any yardstick, it is a perplexing decision. Just because the two suspect students happened to be students of the Jamia Millia Islamia, it doesn’t entitle them to have any association with a terrorist group. The matter is under investigation and the police has the unfettered right to interrogate the terror suspects and their associates. There is, however, no logic in the University’s decision to provide them legal help under pressure from religiously motivated group sympathetic to the two students. It will become well-nigh impossible for the state to take action against any suspect and the Police to interrogate any terror suspect if institutional support is forthcoming in such cases. Already, ii is being alleged by the coreligionist neighbourhood that the Jamia encounter in which 2 terror suspects and an Inspector of Police lost their lives was a fake encounter…

NEW DELHI: The Jamia Millia Islamia University would provide legal aid to two suspended students who have been arrested by Delhi Police for being allegedly involved in the serial blasts in the capital.

“Legal aid would be provided till they are not found guilty,” varsity spokesperson Rakshanda Jaleel on Tuesday said.

The varsity had yesterday suspended the students prima facie for their alleged connection with the serial blasts that claimed over 20 lives.

The suspects are subject to verification by disciplinary committee of the university comprising the Vice Chancellor, Dean and Proctor. The committee was supposed to discuss the issue on Tuesday but could not meet.

Meanwhile, the varsity vice chancellor Prof Mushrul Hasan has appealed to students to exercise restraint and maintain dignity in the wake of the developments.

“There are, doubtless, difficult times for each one of us, but we must stand firm against the attempts to defame and malign the reputation of our university. We must maintain the secular and pluralist tradition of Jamia Millia Islamia and reiterate our commitment to the values enshrined in the Constitution and reflected in the world view of the founders of our institution,” he said in an appeal to students.

The vice chancellor will address the varsity students on Wednesday. The interaction, which will not be open to press, aims at holding free and frank exchange between students and authorities, a release issued said.

A peace march will be taken in the campus on Thursday which be led by the vice chancellor. Teaching staff and students will participate in the march.